Chapter 16

Shen Xiang arrived at the Immortal Demon Cliff. He looked down at the thick black death aura below and muttered, "Is there really such a thing as Immortal Demons in this world?"

Su Meiyao huffed, "Of course there are! Don't think that the True Martial Realm is the strongest realm in martial arts. Above the True Martial Realm, there are three ultimate realms, and then comes the Nirvana Realm! After successfully achieving Nirvana, one can enter the Heavenly Martial Realm, a much more powerful world, the Heavenly Martial World!"

"Without mentioning those powerful worlds, even the Mortal Martial World we are in is vast. The place where you are now has very thin spiritual energy, so there are very few demonic beasts! The true martial arts cultivators all go to places with dense spiritual energy. There, the strong are numerous, demonic beasts are abundant, and dangers are everywhere. Without a certain level of strength, you will die in that area."

This was the first time Shen Xiang had heard about the martial arts world, which left him amazed. He also realized his insignificance. Before, he thought the True Martial Realm was very powerful, but now he didn't expect there to be realms above it.

"Kid, this Mortal Martial World is boundless. Beyond this continent, there are many other lands, and there are also powerful martial artists on them. In the endless world, there are countless secret realms. These secret realms contain a large number of treasures, but they are also extremely dangerous. As long as you have the strength, you can witness the greatness of the entire martial arts world, and then you will realize how insignificant you are," Bai Youyou said coldly.

Shen Xiang clenched his fist, feeling his heart broaden. He knew that only by continuously improving his strength could he ensure his survival in the martial arts world, where the strong were numerous!

He jumped down the abyss. He had the strength of the Fifth Level of the Mortal Martial Realm, and there was a pond below, so he didn't need to waste time climbing down slowly.

With a "splash," Shen Xiang returned to the pond emitting white light. The bottom of the abyss was often frequented by demonic beasts, but Shen Xiang wasn't afraid now because the demonic beasts here weren't very strong, and his current strength was enough to handle them.

"Meiyao, how do I use this Immortal Demon Pond?" Shen Xiang asked, stirring the strange water with his hand. Apart from the glow, he didn't feel anything particularly strange about it.

Su Meiyao said, "This is the pure energy that flowed out of the bodies of a large group of Immortal Demons after they died. However, you can't absorb this energy, as it's not yours. You can only use this energy to temper your body and spirit, but the process is very painful."

Shen Xiang frowned and asked, "How long do I need to stay in this Immortal Demon Pond?"

Su Meiyao replied, "I don't know. Until you no longer feel the pain. Just jump in and circulate the Taiji Divine Art to guide the energy into your body."

Without a word, Shen Xiang took off his clothes and jumped in. He dove to the bottom of the pond, where he could breathe normally, so he had nothing to worry about and could also prevent attacks from demonic beasts.

As soon as he reached the bottom, Shen Xiang began to circulate the Taiji Divine Art. At that moment, he felt his body suddenly being squeezed from all sides by a strange force, as if it were trying to compress his body into a ball, which made him very nervous.

At the same time, the strange energy entered his body, surging in wildly, flowing through his body like a flood, making him feel as if his body were about to burst. The bone-piercing pain made him wish he were dead.

Bubbles kept rising from the Immortal Demon Pond, and the surface of the water churned, due to Shen Xiang's frantic struggle at the bottom...

After an unknown amount of time, Shen Xiang finally struggled to surface from the pond. He lay on the edge, panting heavily, and said, "Why haven't I reached the Sixth Level of the Mortal Martial Realm yet?"

"Do you think you can break through so quickly? You've only tempered your body, making your physical body stronger and enhancing your spirit!" Su Meiyao's voice came.

Shen Xiang stood up and tightly clenched his fists. Indeed, he felt his body had improved, even though he hadn't reached the Sixth Level of the Mortal Martial Realm, he had laid a solid foundation.

"How long have I been down there?" Shen Xiang asked. He had been in a daze, enduring the intense pain in the Immortal Demon Pond.

"Only five days. The Immortal Demon Pond has no more use for you, but it has laid the foundation for cultivating an Immortal Demon Body!" Su Meiyao said. Shen Xiang was secretly amazed by the Immortal Demon Body; just the name suggested its power.

Occasionally, a roar and a faint, peculiar true qi would rise from the abyss below the Immortal Demon Cliff. The true qi was filled with an ancient and沧桑 (ancient and weathered) aura, giving a sense of pressure. This was the Azure Dragon True Qi generated by Shen Xiang's cultivation of the Azure Dragon Divine Art.

Shen Xiang didn't leave the Immortal Demon Cliff but continued to practice below. He was bare-chested, with a pair of iron fists emitting surging azure true qi, constantly striking the cliff wall, causing rocks to fly. His body was surrounded by a faint true qi. After hundreds of strikes, he had created a small hole in the cliff wall, yet his breathing remained steady, showing the depth of his true qi and stamina.

With each strike, the true qi would surge back, rushing from his arms directly to his head, merging with his mental energy, thus developing his brain and enhancing his mental power. This was also a method for cultivating divine consciousness.

Shen Xiang's practice below was quite noisy, and the originally quiet area was now filled with the sound of his strikes, echoing throughout the abyss.

Two days passed, and Shen Xiang felt his true qi was incredibly full, and his mental power had greatly increased. He just needed to open a sea of divine consciousness to enter the Sixth Level, the "Divine Consciousness Realm," which required a powerful mental force to break through.

"Preparing to break through to the Sixth Level!" Shen Xiang took a deep breath. After two days of cultivation, he could clearly feel his physical body had become much stronger, thanks to the tempering in the Immortal Demon Pond.

Shen Xiang sat cross-legged on the ground, closed his eyes, and focused his mind. He circulated the true qi in his body and released his mental power, merging the two. The mental power sensed the gate of divine consciousness, while the true qi was used to break through that gate!

The profound techniques of the Taiji Divine Art guided Shen Xiang's true qi and mental power to find the gate of divine consciousness hidden in his soul, allowing him to quickly see a golden gate as if it were right in front of him.

Seeing this gate meant the "Divine Consciousness Realm" was within reach. He furrowed his brows, and with a thought, the azure true qi instantly transformed into a fierce and solemn Azure Dragon. The Azure Dragon roared and charged at the golden gate.

The Azure Dragon collided with the gate, causing a "thunderous" explosion. Shen Xiang saw a blinding golden light, and at the same time, he opened his eyes. A powerful true qi surged through his body, making him roar. The fierce Five Elements True Qi erupted from his body, creating a strong wind that blew in all directions.

"Is this the Sixth Level of the Mortal Martial Realm?" Shen Xiang closed his eyes, feeling the thick and powerful true qi in his body, and released his divine consciousness, sensing every movement around him!

Shen Xiang opened his eyes and smiled, "Now I can use that move, right!"

Suddenly, a flame appeared on his back, and a pair of massive wings made of fire emerged, glowing brightly and emitting intense heat, resembling the wings of a phoenix.

"Zhuque Fire Wings! Fly!" Shen Xiang laughed, and the fire wings flapped. In the blink of an eye, his figure disappeared into the black death aura.

This was the power of the Sixth Level of the Mortal Martial Realm! With powerful divine consciousness, one can control the true qi to flow out of the body without dispersing, allowing Shen Xiang to release his true qi and transform it into wings, enabling him to fly.